“They’ve been dominant:” Golden Bears’ depth shines in round one win

In a series where two playoff ready goaltenders squared off, there was no question about who walked away feeling that much better in their performance.

It was the same one who walked away with 67 saves and a quarter-final win.

But let’s get this straight.

The Bears took round one of the Canada West playoffs after an overtime goal by Connor McClennon in game one, a 3-2 loss the next day, and finally, a decisive 4-1 victory on Sunday, February 23, after getting back to a six-man defensive lineup that valued quality shots over quantity.

Simply put it, they found a way to “put pucks in deep.”

But it can’t be said that Carl Tetachuk’s goaltending was the reason the Calgary Dinos fell short of a round one win.

In fact, it was starting to look like no one could score on Calgary’s stud goaltender, who played some of his best hockey in a respectable effort to advance to the semi-finals. Had it not been for Tyler Palmer’s equally matched, arguably better game-three performance, he might have.

Though, Alberta’s star goaltender admits “it was a little tiring.”

“But [I] got through it. Actually felt pretty good on Sunday,” Palmer said.

And yet, “[Tetachuk] gave them a chance to win every night. He made it difficult on our guys. Played big, played strong,” added University of Alberta Golden Bears head coach, Ian Herbers.

“The key was more traffic at the net, making sure we had guys in the blue paint shooting for rebounds.”

Rebounds of a fellow defensemen still count.

On a backdoor quasi-rebound shot, Aidan de la Gorgendiere tied game three, quickly became the fan-favourite playoff star, and scored the series winning goal ten minutes later.

“The first game, we lost a defensemen quick and obviously went to overtime. So, a little more ice time that game. But it’s always nice getting back together with Marc [Lajoie],” de la Gorgendiere said.

“If we can produce from the back end, that’s a big help on our offensive load. But I thought we were pretty strong defensively, did some extra things, blocking shots, moving pucks up quickly, being engaged in the offensive side of the game as well,” Herbers said.

Of the eight goals scored in the first round, four came off the blue line, and at least one to every defensive pairing.

“[De la Gorgendiere] and [Lajoie] have been dominant defensemen in this league. So we expect those guys to work hard, come to practice every day, want to get better, and be two keystones at the back end.”

They were the leaders the whole series, but rotating right-side defensemen for two games straight suddenly puts an overtime win and regulation loss into perspective.

“Playing with Marc, he’s obviously a great defensemen. I feel like we complement each other really well out there. So, it’s nice having him and knowing his tendencies and what to expect with him every single game,” de la Gorgendiere said.

Maybe the 4-1 game three win, with Joel Sexsmith playing one of his “best games in a long time,” was a more accurate representation of the Bears’ playoff performance. Maybe Tetachuk would have been easier to score on had there been 21 players on the bench the whole weekend.

“We still got a little bit more to give,” McClennon said. With two goals coming off an injury, perhaps he has more to give.

“Anytime you get back in the lineup, it’s always exciting. Especially in the playoffs, you want to get right into it and help the team out. And I felt like I had a pretty solid weekend.”

If taking the brunt of the goals while your line mates, Sean Tschigerl and Brett Hyland, battle it out against top defensive pairings, means having a “solid weekend” — then yes, McClennon had a very solid performance, against a very big team.

“I’ve always been a smaller guy, so kind of used to it by now. They were physical and played hard. So you got to be ready for it and keep your head on a swivel. But it’s always exciting when the big guys are coming after you.”

Exciting? Yes.

Maybe a little nerve-wracking for those under the six foot mark or goaltenders who seem to lose visibility when two or more Dinos get net front? Probably yes too.

“I thought for the most part, we were a little bit jittery, maybe nervous being a young team, but still found a way to get the win. They played well. They played really well. This weekend gave us all we could handle,” Herbers said.

Three stars of the series

NOTE: The Bears did fall short of a semifinal win the following weekend in game three against Mount Royal, who advanced to their first ever Canada West championship.